John's Roast Pork is shut down by burglars' damage
One thief — "had to be a skinny guy" — shimmied eight to 10 feet down an exhaust vent and, using a rope, hauled away a box containing cash as well as $1,500 in donations raised for a charity, owner John Bucci said.
Two businesses, including a competitor, have stepped up to not only to make good but to double charity donations taken during a middle-of-the-night burglary that forced South Philadelphia sandwich landmark John's Roast Pork to close Friday.
Adam Spivak of Electric Factory and Frank Olivieri of Pat's King of Steaks each anted up $1,500 after learning that an envelope containing $1,500 and destined for Be the Match, the national bone-marrow registry, had been taken during the break-in.
John's will reopen Saturday after repairs.
He said police were reviewing surveillance video. A repair crew was en route to the shop, on Snyder Avenue near Columbus Boulevard, to assess damage.
"I thought this place was a fortress," Bucci said. "That's the only way in, short of drilling a hole through the wall."
The $1,500 in the envelope, had been raised at the register for Be the Match, an organization close to Bucci's heart since he received bone-marrow transplants while being treated for leukemia that sidelined him for more than two years.
The kicker is that a representative of the group was supposed to have picked up the envelope Thursday, he said.